Today, Aungwinter will share with you some tips on washing and caring for sweaters, so that your sweaters can be worn for more than one season!
Ⅰ. Select a Proper Method of Sweater Washing
Wool sweaters will lose their warmth if washed too frequently; to maintain optimal warmth, generally 10 times should suffice before using again. When washing sweaters, use one or more of the following methods.
1. Hand Washing
To begin the manual wash process, prepare a basin of warm water at about 35 degrees and add a small amount of neutral detergent, salt and vinegar (which have the benefit of fixing color while protecting wool fibers) while stirring it evenly.
Carefully turn inside-out the sweater, and soak it for five minutes in the dissolved detergent solution, squeezing slowly to ensure complete saturation of its surface area.
After soaking, add a small amount of detergent to gently rub more soiled areas of the sweater such as its cuffs and neckline with your fingers, before washing all areas thoroughly with clean water and gently squeezing out any extra liquid with your hands before gently wringing it out with care so as to not create too much waste water.
Clean your garment by laying it flat or in an area with adequate ventilation, without hanging it over a hanger inside of it, as this could cause it to deform under its weight of water.
2. Machine Washing
To wash it efficiently in the washing machine, be sure to place it in a laundry bag and use its special setting or gentle mode for sweaters. In general, try not allowing it to dry for more than 1 minute after you remove from the machine.
II. Solutions to various problems of sweaters
1. Sweater Is Prickly
To ensure the most comfortable experience when wearing new sweaters, it is advisable to wash them prior to first use.
Method for Cleaning: Prepare a basin of cold water and immerse the sweater fully before pouring an appropriate amount of white vinegar over it (this helps soften its fibers), turning over to soak further. This should soften any hair present.
Apply the conditioner evenly over your sweater, and allow it to set for 15 minutes before washing in a squeezing motion rather than rubbing – otherwise your sweater could go back to pilling and deforming!
2. Sweater Falloff
Fall and winter sweaters often pose the problem of their hair becoming untidy over time, particularly if worn with black clothing – but don’t despair; here’s an effective solution that’s quick, easy, and painless to implement!
Cleaning Method: Add an appropriate amount of washing powder and starch to water and stir thoroughly, before soaking the sweater for 15 minutes in the solution before extrusion washing, rinsing with clean water, placing in a net bag, and hanging to dry.
3. Pilling of Sweater
Many people believe that expensive or cashmere sweaters do not pill. In reality, though, no matter which kind of sweater it is worn for extended periods and rubbed against foreign objects, it will eventually pill.
Solution: For localized hairballs, try gently brushing away with a toothbrush. For larger areas, wooden combs with small spaces may work better and should be gently used to comb one direction only.
Try using a sweater stone and brushing in one direction across your sweater – be careful not to brush back and forth, as this will damage both wool fibers as well as yarn strands and potentially bring it back together again.
4. Sweaters Shrink
Unfortunately, sweaters shrink with each wash cycle – an added nuisance as you love the style and color that these garments bring you! But that shouldn’t mean having to give them away.
Solution: Soak the sweater for approximately 10 minutes in a sink of conditioner mixed with water (1:3 ratio), then transfer to a large bath towel to absorb any remaining moisture and gently stretch.
Conditioner can soften tight knots in a sweater and help it return to its original state, making the whole process super straightforward and straightforward! Isn’t that great?
5. Remove static from your sweater
Fearful of taking off their sweater too soon? Well, here’s two solutions that make wearing one less terrifying in fall and winter: friction between it and your hair creates static electricity which creates crackling sounds – not to mention flying hairs! Here are two methods which may come in handy!
1. Gently brush fabric softener into your sweater before cleaning.
If possible, washing the sweater after discovering static electricity build-up is often the best way to reduce or remove static. This will be sure that any buildup will dissipate quickly.
When washing, add fabric softener to the sweater’s water or wash cycle to soften its fibers and minimize static electricity generated from friction. This will also help decrease static electricity.
Tip: Once your sweater is dry, add a small amount of warm water with fabric softener to its surface and give it another rinse with warm water before placing the garment back into storage.
2.Spray the sweater using a small spray bottle.
Spray water mist directly using a small spray bottle to wet the clothes and get rid of static electricity.
Tip: Add a small amount of fabric softener to the spray bottle as an effective fabric deodorizer.
III. Stain Removal on Sweaters
Coffee and black tea stains: Use a towel dampened with water and wrung out before washing. For cream or milk spots, apply detergent; for stubborn stains left for too long use vinegar as an additional cleaning agent.
2. Ice cream: Remove dry parts with a small brush before gently brushing with a hairbrush dampened in detergent, taking care not to brush away fuzz. Once complete, wipe gently using a towel dampened in water.
Milk and dairy products: For best results, carefully wipe with a damp towel soaked with hot water before using detergent to eliminate any remaining oil. If this method doesn’t work, use rubbing alcohol as an alternative solution.
4. Ink Stains: After blotting with thin paper towels, soak the paper in vinegar before repeating this step. If that still does not do the trick, alcohol may help clean off any stubborn stain. Once completed, continue washing the sweater as normal to complete removal.
5. Lipstick/foundation makeup: When wiping lipstick/foundation makeup, use first a paper towel, followed by detergent to gently wipe away stains from outside to inside. Make sure that when wiping, any stain becomes larger instead of becoming less obvious over time.
IV. Care Precautions for Sweaters
1.It is wise to avoid direct sunlight as this could damage the fiber structure.
2. It is important to regularly replace sweaters to allow wool fibers time to recover, otherwise wearing the same one for too long could damage them and alter its appearance over time. If a sweater becomes damaged from overuse or is constantly worn on its own, its appearance may deteriorate quickly – this will reduce damage while maintaining appearance of its design.
3. It is also essential that sweaters be carefully considered when it comes to both outer and inner wear. When worn outdoors, sweaters should not rub against desktops or other flat surfaces as this could cause wear-and-tear to the fabric surface, leading to deformation or pilling of the sweaters surface. When worn inside it is recommended that an appropriate soft outer layer be chosen in order to prevent pilling of your sweaters surface.
4. It is imperative that any sweater that becomes stained be treated immediately in order to prevent further spreading of its stain and increasing in size.
